By Dave Meltzer

We’re look for reports on tonight’s WWE show in Fort Myers, FL (John Cena, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens, Prime Time Players, Dolph Ziggler) tonight’s NXT show in Cocoa Beach, FL, tonight’s GFW show in Harrisburg, PA as well as last night’s NXT show  in Tampa to Dave Meltzer

Lots of stuff happening tonight.

First round of the PWG Battle of Los Angeles in Reseda, Calif. – No way to watch this unless you’re one of the 400 who has a ticket

Aero Star vs. Brian Cage

Biff Busick vs. Andrew Everett

Will Ospreay vs. Mark Andrews

Trent Baretta vs. Trevor Lee

Drago vs. Pentagon Jr.

Fenix vs. Matt Sydal

Jack Evans & Angelico vs. Ricochet & Rich Swann

Tommy End & Marty Scurll & Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Young Bucks & Roderick Strong
 

Bellator tonight at 9 p.m. on Spike from Temecula, CA

Raphael Butler vs. Lorenzo Hood

Josh Burns vs. Justin Wren

Saad Awad vs. Patricky Pitbull Freire

Melvin Guillard vs. Brandon Girtz

 

New Japan World at 9 p.m. Eastern on AXS TV

Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. Kazuchika Okada & Yoshi-Hashi for IWGP tag titles

Bad Luck Fale vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for IC title
 

Legacy Fighting Championships at 10 p.m. tonight on AXS TV from the Houston Arena Theater

Sage Northcutt vs. Andrew Parker

Jonathan Harris vs. Rey Trujillo

Carrington Banks vs. Justin Reiswerg

Jason Jackson vs. Charlie Ontiveros

Valdir Araujo vs. Alex Morono

Saturday has WWE in Orlando (John Cena, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens, Prime Time Players, Dolph Ziggler) and San Juan (Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns, Chris Jericho, Big Show, Ryback), ROH in Atlanta at the North Atlanta Trade Center (Cedric Alexander vs. Corey Hollis, Michael Elgin vs. Adam Page, Matt Taven & Michael Bennett vs. Will Ferrara & Takaaki Watanabe, Roderick Strong vs. Caprice Coleman, Matt Sydal & ACH vs. Ray Rowe & Hanson, Cliff Compton vs. Mark Briscoe, Jay Lethal & Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian vs. Adam Cole & Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish), GFW in Richmond, VA and NXT in Fort Pierce, FL.
 

Second night of the PWG Battle of Los Angeles on Saturday night in Los Anglers

Rich Swann vs. Marty Scurll

Chris Hero vs. Timothy Thatcher

Drew Gulak vs. Tommy End

Jack Evans vs. Angelico

Drew Galloway vs. Mike Bailey

Ricochet vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Fenix & Aero Star vs. Pentagon Jr. & Drago

Young Bucks & Super Dragon vs. Biff Busick & Andrew Everett & Trevor Lee

Sunday has WWE in Daytona Beach (John Cena, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens, Prime Time Players, Dolph Ziggler) and Tallahassee (Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns, Chris Jericho, Big Show, Ryback).

Raw will be Monday in Tampa.

Smackdown and Main Event will be taped on Tuesday in Miami.

A complete rundown of the WWE’s weekend in Brooklyn, with all the business notes, surprises and what is known about the future direction is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.  We also cover the decision to have Holly Holm replace Miesha Tate as Ronda Rousey’s opponent next, a UFC business year-in-review story, ROH big weekend, New Japan next tour, 2017 Mania and Daniel Bryan future note.

The latest Wrestling Observer: Wrestling Observer Newsletter August 31, 2015: SummerSlam weekend wrap-up, UFC business

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The Wrestling Observer ranges weekly from 35,000 to 50,000 words covering pro wrestling and MMA internationally. Each issue has coverage and analysis of all the major news, plus every issue breaks major news stories before the Internet sties and has the most complete look at the pro wrestling and MMA business anywhere, plus history pieces available nowhere else.

We have rundowns of NXT Takeover, SummerSlam and Raw from Brooklyn.  We look at the Night of Champions card and what is and isn’t confirmed, the unique aspect of that weekend no PPV, the returns of Sting and the Dudleys, Dudleys tag title reigns, Jushin Liger’s WWE future, New Japan stars at SummerSlam, Bray Wyatt’s new Wyatt family member and his booking, Jon Stewart, Lesnar and Undertaker’s finish, business notes, NXT in the U.K., Wrestlers complaining about fans at Raw, as well as more on the problems in the WWE Diva Division and what isn’t working. 

We look at UFC’s 2015 business numbers and what they show about the UFC audience, the appeal of the audience to advertisers, how it compares with the audience at other sports, how much of this year’s increases have to do with Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey and what their effects are on business as a whole.  We also look at who the new fans UFC has brought in this year are.

We also have full coverage of UFC from Saskatoon, with match-by-match coverage and business notes on the show.

We look at two major stars returning to a major promotion after seven years and their first programs, the CMLL Anniversary show main event, notes from the Arena Mexico shows from the past weekend Ultimo Dragon taping TV in Mexico City.

We also have notes on a top woman star being injured, a booker getting bad pub from television, a promotion so hot that their sold out events are going to be broadcast in movie theaters as well as upcoming tournaments in Japan.

We also have a look at the New Japan business and how it has increased over recent years, More on A.J. Styles challenging for the IWGP title, New wrestlers debuting in Japan including names not announced yet, lineups for the New Japan World shows in September, Hiroshi Tanahashi talks neck problem, Tanahashi talks theories of wrestling and Ricochet in New Japan.

We also look at WrestleMania in 2017, the Madison Square Garden network special the 2K 16 launch party, the next Stone Cold podcast, an update on Daniel Bryan and well as some of his own philosophies of wrestling, Dolph Ziggler talks contract, the end of Tough Enough, more on NXT talent and pay, stars with new deals, the WWE Divas title, HHH talks NXT, other stars talk who they’d like to see in WWE, Jericho talks Hogan and more.

We also note an indie show in Japan that outdrew Brock Lesnar and WWE at Sumo Hall, as well as the 40th anniversary of the pro debut of one of this era’s biggest stars.

We note the death of Duke Myers, his career highlights, GFW’s latest TV taping and everything that happened, Taz getting a new gig, Wale and pro wrestling, Terry Funk wrestling again in a few months, Jim Ross talk show, Leroy McGuirk into NWA Hall of Fame, Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Red, Alberto El Patron in Europe, promoter critical of Sabu and an update on Len Rossi.

We also look at the future of Lucha Underground, ROH/New Japan relationship update, next ROH PPV show, ROH weekend shows in Philadelphia and Brooklyn notes as well as the upcoming show.

We also update TNA.

We look at UFC’s marketing its fall and winter shows, what main events all UFC ‘s upcoming dates, Plans for the debut in Melbourne, Australia, and more notes on drug testing UFC athletes.

We also look at the next FOX show, lots of new fights, Ronda Rousey T-shirt sales, Anthony Johnson situation, Two UFC women fighters pregnant and new Fight Pass series.

We also look at a major wrestler signing, Alberto Del Rio in negotiations to be an announcer, early UFC promoter back running live shows and huge One championship bout.

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FRIDAY’S NEWS UPDATE

Some amazing footage here.  Hayabusa (Eiji Ezaki) was at one point paralyzed after landing on his head doing what would now be known as a lionsault.  He was never expected to leave the wheelchair.  In front of the biggest names in modern Japanese wrestling, Kobashi, Tenryu, Muto, Marufuji, Fujinami and many others, he gets in the ring for the first time.
Today is the 22nd anniversary of La Revancha at the Los Angeles Sports Arena headlined by Konnan vs. Cien Caras vs. Jake Roberts in a three-way before 17,500 fans with 8,000 fans turned away at the door.  It was still to this day the hottest crowd I’ve ever seen at a wrestling show.  It’s amazing when you think about it that a AAA show drew the largest U.S. paid attendance for any pro wrestling event that year.
GFW weekend lineups are:
Tonight in Harrisburg, PA at Metro Bank Park
Dirty Money vs. Pat Buck
Kevin Matthews vs. Pepper Parks
Kimber Lee vs. Cherry Bomb
Brian Myers vs. Chris Mordetzky
BLK Jeez vs Sonjay Dutt
Plus Seiya Sanada, Ali Akbar, Doc Gallows and Amber Gallows.  Karl Anderson has been pulled from the show due to a schedule conflict.  There will be a meet and greet before the show with Kevin Nash.

Saturday night in Richmond, VA at The Diamond Ballpark has the exact same lineup
Professor Elliot Maron, who in the 70s hosted a popular New York city talk radio pro wrestling show and former WWWF ring announcer and ring attendant for shows in Madison Square Garden, passed away last night at his apartment in Brooklyn.   
An Evening with Rey Mysterio Jr. with photo & autographs, fan Q&A and his talking his career has been announced for 10/26 in London, England at Picadilly Circus and 10/28 in Manchester England.   For ticket click HERE
Francis Carmont vs. Philipe Lins has been added to Bellator’s 9/19 show in San Jose as the alternate fight in the one-night light heavyweight tournament.  If the winner of one of the first round rights can’t continue, the Carmont-Lins winner will take his place.
Josh Koscheck debuts with Bellator on 12/11 in Fresno.
A Chris Jericho interview
The Ronda Rousey Carl’s Junior television commercial
TNA announced this lineup for shows 9/17 in York, PA, 9/18 in Morgantown, WV and 9/19 in Belle Vernon, PA:
Ethan Carter III vs. Matt Hardy for TNA title
Bram vs. Ken Anderson vs. Tommy Dreamer
Gail Kim vs. Awesome Kong
Bobby Roode vs. Rockstar Spud
Eddie Edwards & Davey Richards vs. Abyss & Manik for tag titles
Drew Galloway vs. Tyrus
Baron Corbin and Tyler Breeze are advertised for tonight’s WWE house show in Fort Myers, FL.

J.J. Stokes, who played for the San Francisco 49ers from 1995 to 2002, makes his pro wrestling debut Sunday at Hoodslam on 1101 W. Red Line Ave. in Alameda, CA in a Rumble style Battle Royal.  Also on the show is Dic Grimes vs. Harbin, Cold Cold World vs. Freak Show and a ladder match with Jardi Frantz vs. Rik Luxury.  Gangrel will also in the Battle Royal.
Ten years ago today, one of the biggest fights in MMA history took place in Japan, and even more memorable than the fight was the video that played moments before the fight started, easily the greatest pre-match video of the past ten years
Brandon Halsey will face Rafael Carvallo for the vacant Bellator middleweight title on 10/23 at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT.  Halsey was champion but was stripped of the title when he missed weight in his May title defense against Kendall Grove.
Max Pro Justice on 9/26 in Timmins, ONT with Ken Anderson, Shelly Martinez, SoCal Val, Tyson Dux and Ashley Sixx.
High Impact Wrestling on 9/11 in Regina, Saskatchewan.
Daruis Rucker, a big Ric Flair fan best known as part of Hootie & The Blowfish, was on The Today show this morning talking about his new album and started doing a Dusty Rhodes imitation.  When host Willie Giest brought up WCW, Rucker said, “No, Georgia Championship Wrestling.”
Barclays Center officials gave WWE a frame custom art piece to be auction off on CharityBuzz with the proceeds going to Conor’s Cure at the Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh.

ON THIS DAY IN PRO WRESTLING HISTORY INTERNATIONAL (thanks to Graeme Cameron)

1894 – Evan Strangler Lewis beat Tom Bulldog Clayton in London to win the U.K. version of the world heavyweight title

1968 – The Assassins beat Baron Scicluna & Cyclone Negro in Brisbane to win the IWA tag titles

1970 – Masio Koma beat El Solitario in Mexico City to win the NWA middleweight title

1976 – Jumbo Tsuruta beat Jack Brisco in Tokyo to win the United National title

1976 – Vic Faulkner beat Jim  Breaks in Manchester to win the British welterweight title

1993 – Celestial beat Super Delfin in Mexico City to win the UWA welterweight title

1995 – Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi beat Tatsutoshi Goto & Michiyoshi Ohara in Shizuoka to win the IWGP tag titles

1998 – Kendo Ka Shin beat Koji Kanemoto in Tokyo to win the IWGP jr. title

2003 – Yoshihiro Takayama beat Masahiro Chono in Osaka to win the PWG heavyweight title